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Owanka Ghost Town

Apr 2, 2013

Joel Schwader of Rapid City shared these photos of Owanka. The West River ghost town is located 40 miles east of Rapid City in Pennington County. Caption information taken from an article written by Connie J. Mickelson.

Comments

08:05 am - Wed, April 3 2013

Heidi
said:

Bad water, a bank robbery and a murder all led to the town's demise. So sad!

06:45 pm - Wed, April 3 2013

Leon Ewert
said:

Did a lot of growing up in Owanka! My Grandfather was section foreman for the railroad. The two story house in the pictures with the truck in front of it, was the railroad's house for the section foreman. Slept many nights in that upstairs!

09:20 am - Thu, April 4 2013

Elmer Johnson
said:

My cousin, Glen Johnson, and his siblings grew up and ranched south of Owanka. Glen lived in Owanka for many years until he moved to a nursing home in New Underwood..He died a few years ago at the age of 100.

01:26 pm - Sun, June 30 2013

Jerri Paulk
said:

In the early '30's my grandparents worked on the railroad. Grandpa was a brakeman and grandma was a cook. My mom would have been about 2 when they lived in Owanka. They were Joseph and Ada Kautman. My mom was Eunice Joy.

01:14 pm - Tue, July 9 2013

Marlys Huber
said:

Love the pictures!

12:26 pm - Sun, April 27 2014

Mark
said:

John Piepkorn's stark photo of the grain elevator in Owanka is featured on page G2 of the April 27, 2014 STAR TRIBUNE.

11:47 am - Sun, May 18 2014

Marvin Hanson
said:

I was born in Pierre but my parents and I and two sisters lived in Owanka , my Dad was section foreman for the railroad their in the 30's ? 40's Harold P. Hanson and we moved to Cal. in the early 50's. Seeing the section house again where we lived gave me chills.

12:53 am - Sat, June 28 2014

Diana Guerrero
said:

My grandmother was born in the early 20th century in Owanka. Her maiden name was Louckes, changed from Lukes, and her father was a farmer. Family legend has it that her mother, my great-grandmother, had Lakota Souix blood but that was never confirmed and in those days would be hushed up. My great-grandmother's father had been a settler and community leader but his last name escapes me. Brown perhaps? My grandma would tell me of her life on the farm and how she'd go out into the fields to pick wildflowers with her sisters and of the cold winters and how once she'd put her tongue to a doorknob and it became stuck. She also talked about her classroom where different grades were together in her room. I'm old now but still miss my grandma but it's so nice to see some pictures of where she grew up. Thank you for sharing them.

My Family (The Tom and Erma Brassfield Clan) came from this area and I was only 10 when we moved away but I remember going for water in Owanka many times. Sad to see towns die like this but it happens. Love the pics and would love to take a trip back in time to really see the history of this great part of the prairie of South Dakota. Still have strong Family ties to this Beautiful State with so much History. Thank you for the photo tour!

10:15 pm - Fri, September 19 2014

Christine Beri (Truman)
said:

My grampa Tiny Allen Blake use to live down there and I remember going for many visits. I loved the old feel you can't find any where else any more and all the memories tied to it as a child. Very upset my mother sold that land for $1 as convinced by my stepfather as I feel it was to spite our family. I really wanted to go back there and can't.

09:17 pm - Sat, November 22 2014

Pete
said:

I have been indexing the school census records for 1937, Owanka, N Underwood and Viewfield. So interesting are the names and to read these comments. So sad to see so many people go separate ways.

03:53 pm - Tue, April 21 2015

Daryl A Jossart
said:

Born in Owanka at grandparents place in 1927. Spent summers there growing up.

My grandfather, Charles Frederick Ehlers (1864-1955)homesteaded on a premption near Owanka. He later soldto a Less Winchel of Owanka. In 1890 Charles married Charlotte Brennon, daughter of Granny Brennon, sister of Will Brennon of Owanka. There is registered grave at the homestead, Teckla Ehlers. Granny Brennon was a nurse during the civil war in which her husband was killed. . Does anyone know of these names and if so, how we might make contact.As of 1955, the homestead house remained standing and oppupied. .

03:44 pm - Sun, August 23 2015

Glenn Bloom
said:

I was born in Owanka in 1934 on banks of the Owanka creek on a little goat farm my dad name was Geo.& mom name was Glennie Bloom had six brothers & four sisters. Move to rapid city in spring of 1943 because of dad heath.

09:54 am - Wed, December 30 2015

CARL MILLER
said:

My Grandad worked on the railroad there. My mother and her older brother were born there. The Carl Frederick Family.

08:40 pm - Mon, June 20 2016

Kay Waterson Lamb
said:

My grandfather Gilbert Brink was also from Owanka and worked for the railroad. I remember going to visit and see that his house is still standing. In 2008 when my husband and I retired we took a trip back to visit and saw the house. I remember taking baths in a big wash tub set up in the living room and visiting the outhouse. My family moved from South Dakota in 1955 to California. That trip is the only time I have been back. Remember being warned of rattlesnakes. Hope to make at least one more trip back. Interesting site and have enjoyed pictures. Thank you.

09:12 am - Fri, December 30 2016

Jerry E. Brodsky
said:

The Brodsky family lived in Owanka for many years, my father was born there in 1906 as the next to last child in a large family. We lived in Rapid City from 1951 to 1961 and occasionally visited Brodsky relatives who lived in Owanka during those years. In 1986 at our last visit, we saw a number of graves in the cemetery with the Brodsky name.

08:25 pm - Mon, January 30 2017

Hazel birrenkott
said:

My mom was born in owanka in 1921. Her maiden name was pullins. They moved to custer, sd but not sure when or why.They farmed in the area. Does anyone know about that family.

03:25 pm - Mon, July 24 2017

John Arnoldy
said:

Just visited Owanka (3rd time in my life) in late May 2017. My great grandparents (Ungs) and grandparents (Arnoldy) farms, going back to the 1920s, are still there just down the road between Owanka and the highway. My father was raised on the farm until moving out to Calif with his parents in the late 1940s, and he always talked about wanting to move back there.

09:04 am - Fri, October 20 2017

Marge Huether Martin
said:

We drove to Owanka yesterday (10/19/2017) Loved all the old buildings. My Grandfather an Mother Christ and Kathryn Huether lived there sometime around 1910 or 1911. My Dad Chris Jr was in a school picture at the Owanka School.

Any one remember the Huethers??

04:54 pm - Sun, October 22 2017

Richard Aby
said:

My family moved to Owanka in 1951, my dad Perry Aby was section Forman with the railroad. There were several families living tin Owanka, mostly retired railroad workers. The Brodsky family, The Blake family, The Tennyson Family, the Winchell family and several other family’s. They moved the church from Owanka to Wicksville, and moved the big gymnasium from Owanka to Wall. Bill Williamson and his wife, ran a little store in the old bank building.

04:45 pm - Tue, May 1 2018

Thad Ferguson
said:

My grandfather, Lawrence Holmes homesteaded in the area & my mother was born at their farm. They always said that Owanka was the best & main town at the time (early 1900's). I visited Owanka in the summer of 2018 & found it to be a ghost town. From the buildings that were there one could tell that it was a prominent area & town at one time.